World Health Organization

Practical Handbook on the Pharmacovigilance of Antiretroviral Medicines World Health Organization

This is a detailed manual giving a step-by-step approach to undertaking the pharmacovigilance of antiretrovirals. It is intended to be a source of practical advice for Pharmacovigilance Centres and health professionals involved in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs.

There is an urgent need to develop robust pharmacovigilance systems for antiretrovirals particularly in resource-limited settings. This detailed manual gives a step by step approach to undertaking the pharmacovigilance of these medicines. Good pharmacovigilance will identify the risks in the shortest possible time after the medicine has been marketed and will help to establish/identify risk factors. This manual describes the principles of both spontaneous reporting systems and cohort event monitoring programs. It is intended to be a source of practical advice for Pharmacovigilance Centres and health professionals involved in HIV/AIDS programs.